Ναι vs Όχι: Yes and No campaigns take to Greek web as referendum looms

A man holding a Greek national flag and a placard walks in Constitution (Syntagma) Square in Athens.(Reuters / Alkis Konstantinidis) / Reuters

As Greece prepares to vote in a popular referendum on the bailout deal and austerity measures it imposes, the heated debate on the country’s fate has exploded in expressive memes on social media, including politicians, Sparta, sculptures and what not.

On Sunday, Greeks will vote on whether the government should
accept the creditors’ bailout demands or not. If the Greeks vote
‘Yes’ then the current government is likely to resign, and the
people will have to accept the harsh austerity measures demanded
by the creditors.

EU officials and the Greek opposition have warned that a ‘No’
vote would lead to Greece’s exit from the eurozone and
potentially the EU, consequently raising questions about the
viability of the euro.

Memes with hashtags #Oxi (translated from Greek as ‘No’) and #Nai
(‘Yes’) have been trending in social media in anticipation of the
impending showdown.

During a televised national address on Wednesday, Tsipras, in
turn, underlined his commitment to the referendum, saying any
talk about expelling Greece from the Eurozone, should Greek
voters say “No” to austerity in Sunday’s referendum, was a bluff.